World Languages Threatened
Many world languages may become extinct due to economic growth, a new study suggests. A study led by Tatsuya Amano at the University of Cambridge revealed that 25 percent of the world's languages are threatened. After identifying where the endangered languages were, the researchers looked for any environmental and social or economic factors those languages might have in common, such as rugged terrain(崎岖地形)or rapid population growth." We found that at the global scale, language speaker declines are strongly linked to economic growth—that is, declines are particularly occurring in economically developed regions, "Amano said.
"We showed that this is a global phenomenon, which I think is the most important in our findings, "Amano said. "" So economically developed countries with many languages, such as the United States and Australia, need immediate attention if their languages are to be conserved. "
Economic growth may endanger languages for a variety of reasons. For instance, speakers of endangered languages may view another more dominant language as offering economic opportunities and integration into mainstream society, and thus abandon their own languages.
There are other important factors that might endanger languages, the researchers said. For instance, policies regarding how languages are used and taught in schools" can be very different among countries and even within each country, and these factors may explain more detailed patterns in language endangerment, "Amano said. "But it was almost impossible to collect such information at the global scale for this study. This will be the next step for our project. ""
Amano suggested it could be possible to forecast future threats to linguistic diversity. "There exists detailed information on projected future changes in the environment, economies and climates, "Amano said. "Using such information, together with the findings of this study and further analysis, we would like to understand what will happen to the world's languages, where it will happen and which languages will be threatened in particular. "
A. items B. universal C. excess D. characteristic E. determined F. confirmed G. random H. annoyance l. supplied J. empathy K. immoral |
A. Community spirit has a lot to do with food banks. B. It's estimated that 500, 000 people in the UK have turned to food banks, just to get by. C. Food banks are seen as a gesture of goodwill from the international community. D. We do occasionally get fresh produce but it's very rare, especially in the winter months. E. There are checks and referrals to make sure nobody is abusing the system. F. Anyone who is in need of food can submit an application form to the local church. |
Feed the Belly Feed the Soul
When looking at Western Europe, we don't usually think about poverty—but in fact, some people in modern-day Britain are so hard up that they can't afford to buy food.
Back in 2008, the financial crisis caused a lot of redundancies(裁员). Then there were the cuts to the welfare system in 2013 which added to the problem—and many British people fell into debt.
Steph Hagen, who works in a Nottingham food bank, says, "People do not go to a food bank because it's an open door. It's a case of they going to it because they need to. With our food bank—we are an independent one, and we have limited stocks—everyone who comes through our door has no income whatsoever. "
lf a doctor or a social worker thinks someone needs to use a food bank—even for a short time—they can give them vouchers. Then the people in need take the vouchers along to the food bank and they get handouts for three days.
Churches and individual donors provide most of the food in the banks. But some businesses might help out too.
As for the food offered in food banks, Hagen says: "Basically, we've got porridge. It's like, tinned fruit, tinned ready meals. We have to give out 'no-cooking' food parcels because people can't afford the gas and electricity. "
Volunteers say they are a great meeting place for people who are lonely and depressed. And when facing a crisis, some beneficiaries (受益人)might need to feed not only their belly—but also their soul.
Reading and writing, like all technologies, are constantly changing. In ancient times, authors often dictated their books. Dictation sounded like a(n)1 series of words, so scribes wrote these down in one long continuous string, just as they occur in speech. For this reason, text was written without2 between words until the 11th century. This continuous script made books hard to read, so only a few people were 3 at reading them aloud to others. Being able to read silently to yourself was considered an amazing talent; writing was an even4 skill. In fact, in15th-century Europe, only one in 20 adult males could write.
After Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in about 1440, mass-produced books changed the way people read and wrote. The technology of printing increased the number of words available, and more types of media, such as newspapers and magazines, 5 what was written about. Authors no longer had to produce scholarly works, as was common until then, but could write, 6 inexpensive, heart-rending love stories or publish autobiographies, even if they were unknown.
In time, the power of the written word 7 the idea of authority and expertise. Laws were made into official documents, contracts were written down and nothing was8 unless it was in this form. Painting, music, architecture, dance were all important, but the9 of many cultures was the turning pages of a book. By the early 19th century, public libraries had been built in many cities.
Today, words are 10 from paper to computers, phones, laptops, etc. Some 4. 5 billion digital screens light up our lives. Letters are no longer 11 in black ink on paper, but move rapidly on a glass surface in a rainbow of colors. Screens fill our pockets, briefcases, cars, living-room walls and the sides of buildings. They sit in front of us when we work12 what we do. And of course, these newly common screens have changed how we read and write.
The first screens that overtook culture, several decades ago--the big, fat, warm tubes of television—13 the time we spent reading to such an extent that it seemed as if reading and writing were over. Educators and parents worried deeply that the TV generation would be unable to write. But the interconnected, cool, thin displays of computer screens launched a new age of writing that14 to develop. As a consequence, the amount of time people spend reading had almost tripled since 1980. By 2008, the World Wide Web contained more than a trillion pages, and that15 grows rapidly every day.